Lonely Planet Philippines (Paperback)

by Chris Rowthorn (Author), Monique Choy (Author), Michael Grosberg (Author), Steven Martin (Author), Sonia Orchard (Author) "Thanks to 'Tabon Man' who left a bit of his (or her, according to some) skull in a cave in Palawan at least 22,000 years..." (more)
Key Phrases: cottages with bathroom, jeepneys run, regular jeepneys, Cebu City, Puerto Galera, Puerto Princesa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
As usual the guide-book standard is set by Lonely Planet

-- Outside --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
This guide includes information on accommodation and places to eat for every budget. It covers what to do and see in the region and offers tips on getting the best out of your visit and how to get-off-the-beaten-track.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 8th edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740592107
• ISBN-13: 978-1740592109
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #417,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst Guide Book to the Philippines !!!, March 10, 2004

By	Cheyenne "islomania" (El Nido, Philippines) - See all my reviews

Im an Australian living fulltime in the Philippines and travel extensively as I'm a realtor selling islands & beaches here. Do not waste your money buying this book. Firstly, it is a second rate copy of the previous editions written by Jen Peters. You are better of buying his "Philippines Travel Guide" also available on Amazon.

Secondly, its full of so many errors and danger warnings that I'm suprised anybody would come here if it were really true. For instance they write that Palawan is dangerous based upon a bomb being found at the airport. The bomb was in fact a defunct WWII hand grenade which was found in the grass at the edge of the runway, hardly something designed to kill tourists. It warnings about danger in Palawan are COMPLETELY wrong in every instance. I live there and crime and danger are almost non-existant. Yes the Abu Sayeff kidnapped people from a resort, but they were from Mindanao on the other extreme of the Philippines and there has not been 1 single incident since then .. 5 YEARS AGO!

El Nido, one of the best places in the Philippines see EL-NIDO.NET The authors came for 1 day and how can the possibly have researched a whole town in 1 day? The write that the trip from Puerto to El Nido by road is 14 hours, when in fact it is now only 7 hours and half of that on the new concrete highway.

Yes, there are dangers in the Philippines, but I feel safer here than living in any western city. Provided that you follow common sense you wont have any trouble here. This is one of the most under-rated tourism spots on the globe, exactly because of lame travel books and stupid travel advisories from overseas embassies.

Do yourself a favour buy the Jens Peters Guide and ignore whatever the Lonely Planet Guide says.

56 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Does not live up to the Lonely Planet standard, November 19, 2004

By	J. Turner (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love Lonely Planet travel guides. The pithy been-there-done-that tone and insider information is invaluable. Every where I travel, I take along an LP guide. My recent trip to the Philippines was no different, but I cannot recommend this travel guide to anyone. The LP Philippines guide simply does not live up to the standard.

The historical information is biased and slightly anti-American. The authors go out of their way to make anti-American comments throughout the historical section, while saying little or nothing about the historical atrocities committed by other nations in the Philippines (Japanese death march anyone?). The authors clearly feel that is their duty to inform the world that the United States is an empire building, bumbling, inept nation. I found the condescending tone and political prejudices personally offensive.

Secondly, I felt like the guide was written like a research report. There is so much that isn't reflected in the guide. We hired a taxi or van (with the driver) for about 2,000 pesos and hit all the tourist areas for the entire a day, in Bohol, Cebu, and Davao (note: it is expected you feed the driver and he eats with you or at another table). Depending on how you negotiate, the rate can go as high as 5,000 per day for an air conditioned van and driver. This guide would have you waiting for taxi's or navigating Jeepney routes all day.

In general, the travel information is adequate for the northern islands, with some notable exceptions. If you plan on visiting Mindanao, find another travel guide entirely. The authors are simply ignorant of the political situation in the Philippines, and the section on Mindanao is filled with inaccurate travel warnings.

The information about Mindanao and Davao are almost non-existent. If you are going to visit Mindanao, I would urge you to get another travel guide. After spending time in and around Davao, I began to wonder if any of the authors actually visited Davao, or did their exploration over the telephone.

The information in Manila is incomplete. I was amazed at how little information was available on a modern city of that size.

Surprisingly, the information about Cebu and Bohol, was more or less correct, but the price information was totally out of whack on panglao island on some of the resort hotels.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best option for those planning a first trip to the Philippines, December 10, 2007

By	Robert - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philippines (Country Guide) (Paperback)

I have read lots of criticism of the Lonely Planet Philippines guidebook but I feel much of it should be disregarded by the first-time visitor to the Philippines. When one is planning a trip to the Philippines, especially if the traveler has not been there before, what one needs is qualitative advice, help in figuring out where it's worth going and where not to bother with. In this, Lonely Planet is excellent, perhaps the best of all the guidebooks. It will give you good advice about which places are worth visiting and which are not of much interest. If you've never been to the Philippines, you need frank advice about these things. As you spend time in the Philippines (I live there full-time) you may make your own judgments, but I have found Lonely Planet's advice to be quite good.

There is no question that Jens Peters' Philippines Travel Guide offers far, far more detail than does Lonely Planet; many more detailed maps, more complete listings of accommodations, transportation details and so forth. No other guidebook comes close.

I live in Iloilo City. I believe Lonely Planet's well-written Iloilo City narrative conveys the spirit, paints a true picture of the place in a way that allows the trip planner to decide if he or she should even include a visit to Iloilo City. For the trip planner this is more important content than extensive details about bus terminals, ferry links and so forth. Once you're here you may wish for the detailed information that Jens Peters' book gives.

That's why, in my opinion, there really is no single best Philippine guidebook. For the person on their first trip, Lonely Planet offers plenty of information and advice in a compact format. It is in need of an update.

I'm an American and have read complaints of my fellow citizens that the Lonely Planet guide is "anti-American". I suspect it may seem so only to those who are not familiar with some of the sadder episodes in the history of American involvement in the Philippines; the brutal crushing of Philippine independence, imposition of decades of unfair trade rules, our unwavering support for the Marcos regime so we could keep our Philippine bases and so forth. It would be better if the Lonely Planet's jabs should inspire some reading and soul searching rather than flag-waving. Stanley Karnow's "In our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines" would be a good start.